I mentioned that I attended an event this past weekend at a converted missile silo West of Topeka. Thought I'd share some pics of the place. It is truly a New Age, ex-hippie haven.

Pic 1: The crenelated tower is built over one of the emergency escape hatches. It provides a great view over the nearly 30 acre site, as well as keeping out the rain that had flooded the facility when Ed and Diana Peden bought it in the late 80's.

Pic 2: The main entrance, a passive solar construction with hot tub and copious room for plants, belies the vast 20,000 square feet built beneath.

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__________________
Peas and Logic,
Patrick

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." Douglas Adams

Pic 1: The spiral staircase at left center is how you get down into the facility from the entrance building. Stage is to the right, living room, sitting room, library, two three bedrooms, upstairs master bath and upstairs "family" kitchen are behind the wall to the left.

Pic 2: This shot shows the about 1/3 of the area surrounding the stage on three sides.

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__________________
Peas and Logic,
Patrick

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." Douglas Adams

Pic 1: Lovely ladies preparing quiche at 8:30 in the AM after a *very* late night all around. This is the "family" kitchen. I don't have a picture of the other, which is set up as a commercial kitchen to service the many functions and events they hold at Subterra Castle.

Pic 2: Breakfast conversation was animated, constant and largely concerned with conspiracy theories regarding the suppression of hallucinogenics by the government, the coming quantum evolutionary leap represented by 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar, and being mugged by a young male dolphin who took issue with Buddy having apparently accidentally sexually stimulated a female dolphin. Ed and Diana, the master and mistress of Subterra, are at the far end of the table.

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__________________
Peas and Logic,
Patrick

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." Douglas Adams

Pic 1: The flame channel for the Atlas E missile which lived in the missile bay which is separated by a long tunnel from the developed living space. The door weighs 42 tons, and can be opened with a hand crank, although it took Ed over 20 years to finally get around to making it work. Atop the berm which houses the missile room are two much larger double doors which slide apart, allowing the missile to be elevated (it was stored flat - this was a first generation silo, and was not a vertical tube like later Minuteman facilities).

Pic 2: The door to the tunnel which leads to the missile room/fuel room, two enormous and still largely empty spaces. Note the Omega on the door. Nice commentary, huh?

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__________________
Peas and Logic,
Patrick

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." Douglas Adams